Justin Croft Antiquarian Books : BENTHAM, Jeremy. - Emancipate your colonies! Addressed to the National Convention of France, Ao 1793. Shewing the uselessness and mischiev...

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BENTHAM, Jeremy. Emancipate your colonies! Addressed to the National Convention of France, Ao 1793. Shewing the uselessness and mischievousness of distant dependencies to an European state. Now first published for sale. London: by C. and W. Reynell for Robert Heward, 1830.

8vo (210 × 132 mm.), pp. [ii], 48, 2 (postscript). Very slight offsetting to title, a little spotted, small area of worming to blank margin of pp. 5-6 not affecting text. Later blue marbled paper covered boards, marbled edges. A very good copy.

First published edition. Bentham's early pamphlet, written in 1793, appeals to French to acknowledge that a distant dependency cannot be well governed by the mother country. "Is it then for their advantage to be governed by a people who never know, nor can ever know either their inclination or their wants?" (p.5). The first printing of 1793 was presumably circulated privately and our edition uses the sheets of that printing with a specially-printed title-page.

Chuo E2-2; Goldsmiths’ 26210; Kress C.2445.

£850.00